Public Approval Soars For Solar Energy

This year just keeps getting better and better for solar power. In a recent quarterly survey of the British public carried out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (commonly known as BEIS), the public responded with overwhelming approval for renewables energy, and solar energy in particular. Indeed, more so than ever before!

What Did The Survey Say?

The Department for BEIS has been carrying out these surveys since March 2012, with gradually changing attitudes to renewables energy evident year upon year. This year, the results indicated that solar energy had a whopping 86% support rating amongst the public – the highest rating recorded since these surveys began. (Fantastic news for those of us in the solar PV business – and other business energy services!) Around 79% of those interviewed were in favour of renewables in general, which encompasses technologies like offshore wind farms, biomass, and wave and tidal energy. Meanwhile, around 60% of respondents said that they’d be happy to have a large-scale renewables scheme active in their general area.

In contrast, only 4% of people were opposed to renewable energy, with a further 1% defining themselves as “strongly opposed”. (The other 16% of respondents gave various other answers, in case you were wondering!)

Other Questions Covered By The Survey

This positive shift in public attitudes seems to be linked to other pressing issues for the majority of us. Around 70% of the respondents said that they were concerned about the matter of global climate change, with around two-thirds saying that they didn’t think the UK was investing enough in alternative energy sources. Hopefully though, the Britain’s recent full day without coal has eased those worries slightly!

Meanwhile, around a third of people (30%) expressed some level of worry about being able to afford their energy bills. This is around a similar number to when the survey was carried out last year, but fewer people are worried about it now than they were a few years ago. Thankfully, lowering energy bills is something of a speciality here for us at Low Carbon Energy.

Encouraging News For The Solar Industry

If you’ll pardon one of our favourite puns, the future is looking bright here at Low Carbon Energy. Each year is bringing new technologies and innovations to the market, supported by changing public attitudes like those demonstrated by this most recent survey. Lots of commentators have pointed out that the survey is a good indication of the increasing importance that green initiatives have in the eyes of the general public, and many expect that it will become a key issue for politicians in the rapidly approaching General Election.

However, at Low Carbon we’re happy to leave the politics to the politicians. Our focus is on you; our teams of engineers are unrivalled experts at the setup and maintenance of solar panels, and lots of people are already greatly benefitting from our energy consultancy services. Ultimately, we’re committed to helping you to not only streamline your energy efficiency and reduce your carbon footprint – but also make some fantastic savings along the way!

You can find out how our solar panels serve your sector, or alternatively you can read about the benefits to be gained from our energy consultancy service. As ever, feel free to call us on 08456 808 963 if you have any questions, or you need any advice. We’re here to help!

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